Various specimen collection devices are known for assisting in the collection of stool specimens. The specimens are often collected so that samples can be removed from the specimens for later testing for fecal occult blood.
One such stool specimen collector is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,235 which discloses a tray-type collector and a cradle-type collector. Both collectors are fastened to a toilet bowl or toilet seat by means of adhesive pads. Once the specimen is collected, however, these pads are often difficult to peal away from the toilet bowl or seat. If the cradle-type collector is to be disposed of by flushing it down the toilet, the adhesive pads can inadvertently adhere to the inner passageways of the toilet itself or to sewer pipes connected to the toilet, thereby clogging the toilet or sewer pipes. The adhesive pads may not be readily biodegradable, posing a further disposal problem. Both the tray-type and cradle-type collector disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,235 are complicated to manufacture, requiring assembly of several components which adds to the expense and bulk of the collectors.
Another device, available from Ability Building Center, Inc. (ABC) (Rochester, Min. 55903), consists of a cardboard yoke and a flushable, detachable paper dish. The cardboard yoke receives the paper dish and may be affixed to the toilet bowl seat by means of adhesive tape. Although the paper dish is disposable in the toilet, it may be somewhat difficult and thus aesthetically unappealing for the person using the device to remove the dish from the yoke. This is because the dish is relatively small, requiring the user to manipulate the dish, such as by tearing the dish free or removing the dish from retaining tabs, in close proximity to the fecal specimen. Also, the cardboard yoke is not disposable in the toilet and thus presents an additional disposal problem. Furthermore, the ABC device suffers from the same drawback as the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,235, namely, that the adhesive tape used to support the cardboard yoke is often difficult to remove from the toilet seat.
Yet another device is a collection tissue that is placed directly onto the surface of the water standing in the toilet bowl. Preferably, the sides of the bowl are wetted and the edges of the tissue are allowed to stick to the sides of the wetted bowl. Unfortunately, this collection tissue allows the fecal material to contact the toilet bowl water, allowing potential contamination and dilution that is generally undesirable when collecting samples that are tested for occult blood or other substances.
Thus, there is a need for an improved specimen collection device which overcomes the limitations noted above.